practical

My house always seems to be deteriorating slowly by Friday afternoon. We’ve used it and it shows. If only I were as good at doing my lists as writing them. But this month, I’m doing the fun part: writing and sharing my homeschool lists. The more I follow my lists, the better things go, so maybe writing them out again and again is not an exercise in futility. One can always hope, right? Bunches of Homeschooling Lists Index: Get Organized … Read More

Meals might not seem like part of homeschooling, but it’s all part of the package of making life happen. And I have lists to make it easier. I love to make lists. I even have lists of the lists I have made and want to make. So, why not share all (well, some) of those lists during The Nester’s 31 Days series? Yes, 31 days of homeschool lists. It’ll be a ton of fun if you love lists as much … Read More

I love to make lists. I even have lists of the lists I’ve listed and will list. And today during The Nester’s 31 Days challenge, I’m going to share 5 lists that will make us feel organized. Homeschooling Lists by the Truckload Index: Get Organized with Homeschool Lists Previous: 5 Ways to Keep Kids’ Tanks Full Next: Ancient History Cycle Book List The list doesn’t destroy culture; it creates it. Wherever you look in cultural history, you will find lists. … Read More

We are nearly done with this series on building habits to keep our homes humming and harmonious. Previously, we’ve already worked on Assemble: Start Your Brain Dump List Act: Process That List Arrange: Organize Your Stuff & Your Plans Assess: How to Evaluate for Forward Momentum Now, this is where the cycle loops. As you go along the way, you’ll probably end up adding more stuff to your collected items, changing around your container/list-management set-up, and then that means more … Read More

About a year ago I started writing an ebook that I thought would simply be an expanded and improved GTD for Homemakers. The more I got into it, the more I thought an ebook really wasn’t the best way to present the material. How many ebooks do I have just sitting on my hard drive? eBooks inspire, but they aren’t handy when you want one specific piece of information or encouragement from them. After talking it over with my husband, … Read More

On to step three! After assembling and acting, it’s time for arranging – my favorite part! Arranging is organizing: putting things in their proper place. What is organization? It is being prepared. It is having a home for everything and everything in its home. It is not having color-coded lids or chalkboard labels. It is not making everything magazine-beautiful, but making everything fitting and useful. Why you organize – your motivation – matters quite a bit. Organizing so that we … Read More

This summer I’m working on our consistency in our housecleaning habits, so that when we return to our school routine, the house maybe will remain habitable. Over the last many years I’ve been reading about, planning through, and working on these sorts of habits, I’ve learned what ingredients make the most difference in our home. I’ve found that several short, targeted bursts in a day can keep the house humming better than an hour or two of deep cleaning once … Read More

The summer is the perfect time to address non-academic problem areas. For us this summer, that means solidifying our chore routines so that when we start up school again, we can keep the house humming and in better shape. Making these chore times habitual patterns in our day cuts down on the emotional, psychological, and relational wear-and-tear that boom-and-bust cycles, disarray, and conflict over what’s required create. If you’re like me, you’ve probably been surprised at how worn down you … Read More

So, if the work must be done and we are responsible for it (whether we do it or delegate it), then there are still cleaning tips and tricks we can learn to make it faster and easier. I think it’s great to look into methods and practice these skills for several reasons: It keeps us interested in our work. Being interested and engaged is a great tactic for maintaining a good attitude, and researching and thinking about what we’re doing … Read More

Pam Barnhill and I just did a hangout on homeschool planning with Chelli from Planted Trees this Monday (well, I was late to the show because I had to take a child to the doctor for a bad cough). It was a lot of fun! Find the links mentioned and a discount code at Simplified Organization. Pam is offering a giveaway of her planning sheets expansion pack! You can enter below and also at Simplified Organization, Everyday Snapshots, and Planted … Read More

Hi! I’m Mystie. At Simply Convivial I write about managing a full life as a mom: not only on productivity hacks, organization tools, and homeschool curriculum, but also on cheerful attitudes and necessary habits. Together, let’s get a handle on our roles, responsibilities, and mindsets so we can flourish where we are called to serve.